Well...I tried to start it this morning without cleaning the main jet. No luck. So I unscrewed the main jet and looked at it and it looked very clean and unplugged. But, I used a bread tie and pushed it through and down in and I also took carb off and looked at it. It looked very clean. I used the bread tie and pushed it down the long horizontal very small opening on the carb (lower left corner if looking at carb mounted on engine). I was kind of skeptical, I put it all back together and primed it three times and it started and stayed running (smoothly) on the first pull. WOW! Thanks. Any idea why it looked very clean but still made a difference? There was a little resistance on cleaning that long horizontal minute opening. Might that have been it?

don't feel lonesome afriend of mine got gave to him a 21" selfpropelled,electric start he said that after w while of mowing it would die gas would come out of the carb. found part # ordered one from ebay put it on today start die start die,took it off clened up the old one mowed about 30feet started spitting spurtting then dead it will not hit a lick primer bulb is working insted of shooting a mist into the carb it spewes out of a brass pipe in the carb. could almost run back out spraye carb cleaner in it won't hit a lick.going to try one more carb. if it don't work to the dumpster it goes i even did a compression check 100psi that's good enough to run on.seems to me like troy bilt had a bunch of 2nds not up to standard quality passed them of to lowes and other places got a lowes hot line going to call tommorrow see what they say.not mine they may not talk to mei don't know when engine cos. quit rating engines in hp this is 7.00hp bought a new bolens it's ccs.

The one way wheel problem is not a problem, as that's the way it works. Since it is self-propelled, you wouldn't normally try to pull it back, unless you bear down on the handle to lift the powered wheels off the ground. Most lawn mowers sold to home owners are not designed for much more than a weekly mow. And, since your son does lots of mows every week, the life span of the mower has been shortened considerably! The transmission parts, or a new tranny, are quite expensive. You must consider if it is worth repairing, or just buying a new one! Many youthful lawn mowing businesses have been shut down by the kid using the family mower, and wearing it out much before its time! Now is the time for the son to learn the facts of life! To wit: Using the family lawn mower for contract or friendly mowing jobs, will not gain favors from Pops! So, that said, have the son buy a heavy duty lawn mower that he can use (or buy the first one for him) for his business. He must save part of the cash he gets, to buy stuff he needs, and that will teach him something more than what he learns in school! And also, he must learn that he needs to save money to buy the new one, when the old one wears out. I learned long ago, that money talks. And, spending it on the latest fads usually begets you nothing more than being broke most of the time! And/or, on welfare!

I wish there were a 21" self propelled mower that had reverse as well. It would make forward and backward trimming around things much less tiresome. Sarlo, and some others, make a "high wheel" mower, where a tiny wheel or gear presses directly against the wheels to drive them. When it is released the rear wheels are completely free to "free wheel" without a belt or the transmission trying to fight you. The large wheels also roll over rough ground nicely. The mowers only have one speed though. They are also designed as rough duty mowers and don't have as much cutting height adjustability as regular residential mowers do. Another option are the friction plate drive systems like the old Snappers and Ariens mowers have. When the disc lifts free of the drive plate the engine is completely disconnected from the transmission. Pulling them backwards still turns part of the transmission but not as bad as fighting a badly functioning belt drive transmission. I don't know about current snapper rear wheel drive mowers, but Ariens only uses the friction plate transmission on their "classic" line of mowers these days. I only learned this year that it is not due to the transmission that mowers want to resist disengaging or freely rolling backwards. There is a special type of washer on the axle by the wheels that is supposed to grab when going forward but not grab when rolling in reverse. They may be plastic and wear out. I read that is why Toro, until recently, always had the grease zerks on the back wheels - to help keep those functioning. My 36" commercial walk behind has a simple safe reverse on it. Its called "operator assisted" reverse. You shift into reverse, but then have to give it a light tug before it rolls back. I don't know how the Peerless transmission accomplishes that, but it's like its asking you, for safety sake, if you are sure you want the mower to back up and the tug confirms it and the mower starts backing up.